# Is "Axe Handles" by Gary Snyder a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Axe Handles by Gary Snyder (North Point Press, 1983) is identified by: North Point Press first printing, San Francisco, 1983. True first US edition of the poems; the hardcover in cloth is the collected first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- North Point Press first printing, San Francisco, 1983
- Issued in cloth with dust jacket and a simultaneous wrappered issue; the cloth in jacket is the collected form
- Publisher imprint reads North Point Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Gary Snyder |
| Publisher | North Point Press |
| Year | 1983 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | North Point Press first printing, San Francisco, 1983 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
North Point Press first printing, San Francisco, 1983. Issued in cloth with dust jacket and a simultaneous wrappered issue; the cloth in jacket is the collected form. Poems.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition of the poems; the hardcover in cloth is the collected first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition; cloth in jacket is the collected first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Axe Handles* by Gary Snyder a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/axe-handles
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.